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Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, December 8, 1976 7 Naturalists Objeet to Editorial Dear Mr. Editor, I would like to make two comments on your "Editorial Com- ment" of Wednesday, Nov. 24th. First, to correct an error; Jim Richards is chairman of the conservation committee of the Durham Region Field Naturalists. The president of the organization is Mrs. Cathy Reidt. Second, what better time for candidates to answer questions from the voting public (of which conservationists are a part), than before the voting takes place? Municipal elections, with their large numbers of relatively unknown andidates, present a confusing icture to many people. We need to get to know t he candidates to become "education voters." Perhaps the.questionnaire was too detailed or were the questions just too pointed for certain candidates, requiring them to take a stand with a "yes" or "no" answer'? You may rest assured that members of our club are present at all candidates' meetings as well, in hopes that we will have an opportunity to field some of our questions there, along with all the others that arise from various sectors of the community. Respectfully yours, Dorothy Boden, DFRN member. Sir: Regarding your Editorial Com- ment "Too Much To Exect" (Nov. 24, 1976), I ask, whf didyou feel it necessary to comment and pass editorial opinion on a news release (Questionnaire from Durham Region Field Naturalists), yet you did not see fit to run the release that prompted your response? The news release was designed to be self- explanatory, and outlined our aims and objectives. You will note in the covering letter with the question- naire that the «DRFN intended to take several factors into account prior to publicly supporting any candidate. We too must live in Durham Region, and we too are concerned with other matters as well as those that affect our environment. We intended to be fair in our processing and the final endorsations. The time element I agree was short in duration, but we have no ontrol over that. The time alloted to -a11ow the candidates to reply in a sensible, intelligent and rational manner was.a major concern when the questionnaire was formulated, however. The questions are relevent and important, and I doubt if this 'il1 be the first or last time that any >f these men or women will be asked or expected to respond in a short period of time. If they are not capable of making a quick, wis decision then maybe they should no be seeking support for office Yes, it would have been desirable t have given them more time, but thi was not the case. We could onlj afford a week. Once in the politica arena, these same people will b expected to make decisions af fecting all of us, and in many case will only have a week or so to mak( such a decision, will they not? I realize that the candidates ar hot on the campaign trail, and tha our questionnaire may have beei lengthy or rather extensive, how ever it seems to me that it would bE better for them to reply from th( comfort of their car, office, or hom( when they could take a moment t respond, rather than being asked th( same questions cold off the floor atî meeting, with no time to think or t( prepare. I disagree with thE assumption that the questions coulé not be answered with a simple yes oi no. There were a few that woul require more time and morE thought, but'isn't that what we ar electing these people for? You advice that we should attend thE all-candidates meetings and ask oui questions there is a redundant iî that members of our organizatior have been attending the meetings t date and we shall continue. If w were to take your advice to the ful extent, we would send delegationç fully equipped with various ques tions and take up a lot of preéious time at these meetings asking 'our questions. We thought that the questionnaire would serve our needs for the moment, and the question periods at meetings could be devoted to residents with questions on other facets of our community The quality of the answers we wouid likely get by asking our questions can be had by answering the questionnaire. I trust that you are aware of the fact that we are not simply suggesting that area residents should support the candidates we endorse only because they have displayed a willingness to work and see our community prosper in conjunction with our environment, not in opposition with it. . . we are su porting candidates seeking pulie office to run the business of ocal and regional government that have a well-balanced mandate including an awareness and ap- preciation of our natural environ- ment. These candidates are deserv- ing of support in our opinion. We are urging residents to vote for the candidate of their choice, and we urge all citizens to get out and vote on December 6. We, the public, have been criticized over the years for showing a lack of interest in municipal elections and affairs. Now, when we trv to get involved, e )t o s y l e f- s e e t n - e e e o e a o e d r d e e r e r n n o e Il. s - 'Y Letter To The Editor you would feel it necessary to remark on our methods. You may wish to think of us as a special interest group; and if you consider that we are sincerely interested in the place in which we live (our environment) then you are correct. We are interested in our quality of life. I'm sure this interest is shared ba great many people in the Town o Newcastle and elsewhere. Although you suggest that candi- dates are too busy now to answer our questions, may I asK when you would suggest we should ask; before or after an election? You may be interested in knowing that about 45 per cent of the candidates in Durham Region replied to the questionnaire, including some that found it necessary to phone for additional information. This was some chore also, as I must make an apology now for not giving the candidates a name or number to call . . this was an oversight on our part. We only furnished them with an address for which to send their replies. You may also be interested in knowing that most of the candidates (in spite of your suggestion that we shou d be ignored) opened their reply by thanking us for the opportunity to respond to the questions. There are many areas of concern to area residents, and in many cases they are greater than a concern.for environmental matters. Again though, if one realizes-that our environment is the place we live in, then they all add up to the same thing in most cases. Our questions dealt with more than just our natural environment. The environ- mental concerns are as real as any others, are they not? Other areas .Courtice Students Give Sold-Out Performances Of 'Wizard of Oz' Play The Courtice Secondary came when Dorothy, played Dave Down as the Lion school production of the Wi- by Andrea Kofalvi, was intro- brought the house down zard of Oz was like a kick-off duced to the Scarecrow. number of scenes witl marking the start of a season In bis role as the Scarecrow, antis as a cowardly Ki full of good old fashioned fun. Paul Osborne showed a flair the Forest. With all three performances for slapstick after coming As he jumps from of the play presented in the down from his perch in the character exemplifying Bowmanville High School fields as -he limbered up virtues of lionhood back auditorium from Dec. 2-4, sold preparing for bis journey with his real self, a timid crea out, it was obvious that people Dorothy to the Emerald City. of the forest, the mor wanted some light-hearted entertainment. If this is what the crowds came for, the school's drama club was more than obliging in giving them a play that the whole family could enjoy. The production managed to show the full range of the play's features, often includ- ing a mood of ominous suspense. The mood was partly creat- ed by the stage crew's use of special effects. As the curtain ending the first scene went down, the audience was taken into a twister that sounded as if it was imported directly from Kansas for the occasion. Then when the Wizard of Oz himself made bis first appear- ance everyone was startiea Dy a voice that roared through the auditorium like a clap of thunder. Comedy was also another feature of the production. One of the comic digblights several from our neigbbour- HRa ndc hood attended the splendid 6Pta wedding anniversary for Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Johns at $ 15.OCq Tricity Churck last Saturday. Lloyd and Afnse Ayre, Mrs. Doode Art Nellie Barrie, Gordon and Doreen, Mrs. NortDtcutt Garn- LARG et and Annabelle Rickardsand Lewis and, Margaret Wood Jellibees -Ages 5- 12 $ weret among the guests. We are pleased to know tbat Patch S Mrs. Robt. Hendry is progres- sing satisfactocily, in hospital, AgeS4 i following recent surgery.ir Among those attending the slni 90th Birthday Party for Mrs. Ages8tl Lola Freeman at Maple Grove________________ were Lola and Elmer Cox; Vera and Charlie Downey, Decoupage and Macra Town; Thelma and Ross Lane and Annabelle and Garnet Coloring and Activity I Rickard. Ail wsh ber contin- uing good nealth. Sesame Street Scrap B The Sbaw's neigbbours were saddened by the news of the Reeves Busy Box Sets sudden passing of Charlie- Gilkes last Saturday morning clrdpnisadpi at bisore in town. A long, time resident of Sbaw's and Hand Puppets - Handcr faitbful custodian of the scbool be will be long remembered. Our sympathy goes out to Mrs. Glkes and ber family. Mrs. Nellie Barrie, Gordon, Doreen, Keith, Steve and Glen celebrated Doreen's bîrtbday at a delightful supper party wit Tom, Sally and little Miss Jessica Barrie on Sunday evening. We were sorry to miss seeing tbe fine production of The Wizard of Oz by Courtice High Scbool. We understand, from the comments of the lucky ones wbo were able to get- tickets, that it was an exceptionally good show witb a very large cast of outstand- ing young players. We want to rernind al Sbaw's families of tbe Annual Christmas Pot Luck supper at the scDool hext Moo., Dec. 1MPc at 6 p.m. Dessert and beverage will be provided by the committee. wants the Wizard to grant him some courage., He is continuoulsy asking himeself if he is a lion or a mouse until he finally receives bis medal of courage. Another imaginative aspect n also in a h his ng of his the into ature e he of the play which added to the production was in the cast's costumes. Then a cast of Munchkins, Ghouls, Jitterbugs, and Ozian Generals played their parts in a way which gave everyone the opportunity to sit back and allow the fantasy to flow freely. Under the direction of Katby Coverly, the Wizard of Oz came alive in every way it could, that people address themselves to are taxes, services, such as sewer and water, education, housing, industry, jobs and other economic matters and social concerns. They are all present; they are all real, and they are all important - environment is yet another concern. I take exception to one other point you made in your editorial. You suggested that a candidate would only answer the questions in such a manner as not to offend the DRFN. First, may I state that this was not true. Many of the answers to certain questions were considered negative by us. Finally, were you suggesting that a candidate answering us would falsify his response? We have a right and a duty to have sent out the questionnaire, and we express our thanks to all that seen fit to ahswer. We extend our best wishes to all candidates in the election, as they have all offered themselves to serve the community. We respect them for their civic- mindness. We are looking forward to working with our new council in the coming term. Jim Richards, Chairman, DRFN Conservation Committee. (Orono, Ontario) Editor's note: Well, we certainly walked into that one and accept the scolding with a due amount of humble remorse. Now, as they have also issued a release supporting certain candidates for election we are shoving our neck out a bit more by asking what criteria were used to establish this support for certain candidates and how many club members were directly involved in making this selection? your hydro YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN CO-OPERATION WITH ONTARIO HYDRO URGE YOU TO Save Our ChristmasyigtSI7. Between4and7ona winter weekday evening it's not just important to save elec- tricity...it's essential. One wayyou can help is to save your Christmas lights until after 7. Your Hýdro needs your help, because this is the time of heaviest demand for electricity. Many stores, offices and factories are still open. Street lights are on. The eve- ning meal is being prepared. Christmas lights add to the load. You can conserve electricity by keeping lighting displays modest, by leaving them off till 7, by switching them off again at bedtime. It will be easier on your hydro bills, too. When it comes to fighting rising costs, \ conservation can help a lot. All of us at THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. WE HAVE PUMPED GALLONSI Yes, that's right, Bowmanville's first self-serve gas bar HELL Don Plan'sShel Self-Serve has exceeded the 1,000,000 gallon mark this year. Shown above, on the right, is Clarence Bell, Bowmanville, the customer who pumped the one-millionth gallon of gasoline into his vehicle. He is being congratulated by Don Plain, proprietor of Don Plain's Shell Self-Serve 180 King St. E. Bowmanville We sincerely thank our customers for their loyal patronage and hope to serve you for some time to come. - 1